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anaia Mahuta
NanaiaMahuta
The land confiscation that took place in the 1860s
significantly impacted on the psyche of Waikato,
our refuge as caretakers for the Kiingitanga and
the intergenerational desire to seek redress for the
injustices that had occurred.
The founding principles for the Waikato Raupatu
Claim, and its negotiation and settlement, had its
origins in words left by the ‘old people’:
‘
I riro whenua atu, me hoki whenua mai’
As land was taken, so land should be returned
‘Ko te moni hei utu moo te hara’
Money is payment for the sins committed
These principles informed the settlement reached by
Te Puea and the Labour Government of Peter Fraser in
April 1946. They continued to guide the way in which
settlement redress would ultimately be considered in
the 1990s.
The return of Waikato lands was always a priority to
advance the socio-economic position of Waikato-
Tainui in a rapidly growing and changing society. A
major turning point that heralded change was the
1989 Court of Appeal case in which the Trust Board
contested the sale of Coalcorp on the basis that it
was part of the Waikato raupatu claim. This resulted
in a landmark decision by the Court of Appeal,
which agreed with the tribe’s claim, and led to the
establishment of ‘direct negotiations’ between the
Trust Board and the Crown.
In 1990 when my father had his first meeting with the
then Minister of Justice (Hon Bill Jefferies), the issue
of a ‘full and final’ settlement was raised. Under the
Labour Government a pure monetary approach to
compensation was offered to the value of $9
million. This was rejected by my father
and he always took great delight in
highlighting the inadequacy of such
an approach. My father educated
As principal negotiator for the
then Tainui Maaori Trust Board
and Ngaa Marae Toopu my
father led Waikato-Tainui in the
negotiations with the Crown
which first commenced in the late
1980s and finally culminated in the
1995 Waikato Raupatu
Lands Settlement.
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